The free spins round is where Legacy of Dead separates from generic book clones. The base mechanic — scatter-triggered spins with an expanding symbol — is standard. The difference: each retrigger adds another expanding symbol, stacking up to 9 total. That escalation is the entire point of the game.
How to Trigger Legacy of Dead Free Spins
Land 3 or more burial chamber scatter symbols anywhere on the reels in a single spin. Three scatters award 8 free spins plus a 2× total bet scatter payout. Four scatters give 8 spins plus 20× payout. Five scatters — 8 spins plus 200× payout. The scatter also acts as a wild, so it can contribute to payline wins in the same spin that triggers the bonus. Community tracking data across 2.6 million spins shows an average trigger frequency of 1 in 174 spins. At €1 per spin, budget roughly €175 on average before seeing a free spins round.
The Expanding Symbol Mechanic — Step by Step
Before the free spins begin, a scroll animation reveals which symbol becomes the special expanding symbol. This selection is random — it can be any of the 9 regular symbols (Pharaoh, Anubis, Horus, Eagle, or any of the five card royals). When the selected symbol lands during free spins, it expands to cover the entire reel from top to bottom. The critical detail: expanding symbols pay in any position. They do not need to appear on adjacent reels. If the expanding symbol lands on reels 1, 3, and 5, you get paid for three-of-a-kind even though reels 2 and 4 show different symbols. This is what creates the potential for full-screen wins.
Retriggers — Where the Real Value Lives
If 3 or more scatters land during the free spins round, you retrigger: 8 more spins and one more symbol added to the expanding pool. Now you have two expanding symbols active simultaneously. Retrigger again and you have three. This process can theoretically repeat until all 9 symbols are expanding. With multiple expanding symbols active, the probability of reels filling completely increases dramatically. Two expanding symbols means any combination of those two symbols covering a reel triggers expansion. Three or more and the grid starts filling rapidly. The visual indicator is the bar above the reels: colored symbols are currently expanding, grayed-out symbols are not yet selected.
Why Free Spins Sometimes Feel Impossible to Trigger
A 1-in-174 frequency means some sessions will go 300+ spins without a trigger. That is not a bug — it is the mathematical reality of high-volatility design. In a 200-spin test session documented by a review site, the bonus never triggered at all, resulting in a 44% session RTP. The game compensates for these dry stretches by concentrating value in the bonus round. Average bonus returns cluster around 75-100× stake, but the distribution is extremely skewed: most rounds pay 10-40×, and rare rounds with retriggers and premium symbols push past 500×. If you are experiencing 200+ spins without a trigger, nothing is wrong with the game. That is how 1-in-174 probability works in practice.